New Hope-Solebury notched a 2-1 win over Springfield Township in a District One 2A semifinal contest Thursday.
CLASS 1A
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 2, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 1
“It was a battle, it was a battle.”
And that description by NHS coach Gwen Smith pretty much summed up the third meeting this season between the SOL rivals.
“It’s always a battle, it’s always a good game,” said the Lions’ coach.
Thursday’s win was the Lions’ third of the season over the Spartans, and this one vaulted the Lions into the District One 1A title game.
Midway through the opening quarter, Laura Genovay scored with an assist from Mia Gomolinski, and with two minutes remaining in the frame, Kat Thistlewaite scored on a rebound of a goalie save to give the Lions an early 2-0 lead. While it seemed as though goals were going to come easily, they didn’t.
The Spartans cut the Lions’ lead in half when Norah Conlin found the cage with 1:47 remaining to make it a 2-1 game at halftime. Neither team scored the rest of the way.
“After they scored to go into the half 2-1, you definitely saw their momentum pick up, for sure” Smith said. “We came out strong, they picked it up, and then it was just a battle to the end. They really fought, we fought.
“It was a lot of play in the middle of the field. There wasn’t much going on in either end.”
Smith credited the play of her defensive unit – Kat Thistlewaite, Jess Kinker, Sophia Cozza, Lauren Trenti and goalie. Lydia Eastburn.
Statistically, the Lions held an 8-2 advantage in shots, but the Spartans had a 9-7 edge in penalty corners.
Springfield goalie Erin Roy was credited with eight saves.
“Annie Coll, Emma Yoder, Emily Jackson played a very good game,” Springfield coach Anita Stum said. “I thought we gave New Hope our best game, and I am very proud of how we carried ourselves and worked hard until the final horn.”
New Hope-Solebury (15-2-1, 13-2-1 SOL) will face #3 Dock Mennonite Academy in the District One 2A title game at Wissahickon on Wednesday (6 pm).
Springfield Township 0-1-0-0 1
New Hope-Solebury 2-0-0-0 2
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